142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

307194
Best Practices to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infection Transmission Between Long Term Care and Acute Care Settings

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Meg Tucker, MSPH , Insight Policy Research, Arlington, VA
Courtney Carta, MSPH , Insight Policy Research, Arlington, VA
Elizabeth Gall, MHS , IMPAQ International, LLC, Columbia, MD
Karon Phillips, PhD, MPH , IMPAQ International, LLC, Columbia, MD
Stacy Farr, PhD, MPH , IMPAQ International, LLC, Columbia, MD
Peter Mendel, PhD , Behavioral and Policy Sciences, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Katherine Kahn, MD , RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA
Claire Wilson, PhD , Insight Policy Research, Arlington, VA
James Battles, PhD , Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), infections acquired while receiving medical care for other conditions, are a huge public health burden. Older adults in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at risk for HAIs due to high incidence of co-morbidity, invasive medical devices, and possible cognitive deficits that affect basic sanitary practices. Research indicates that incidence of HAIs in hospitals and LTCFs equate to roughly 5 percent of patients,  which may be compounded by the frequent transition of LTCFs residents to and from the hospital setting.

As part of the longitudinal evaluation of HHS’ National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare Associated Infections, we assess current patient safety practices (PSP) to track and prevent the transmission of HAIs between LTCFs and acute care hospitals.  Data collection efforts include an environmental scan of Federally-funded programs for HAI prevention in long-term care and semi-structured interviews with Federal stakeholders involved in HAI prevention in LTCFs. From these data sources, we identify best practices for targeting the transmission of pathogens between hospitals and LTCFs. Identification and dissemination of best practices for the prevention of HAIs between hospitals and LTCFs could have significant impacts on policy at the local, state, and Federal levels, and so we also identify opportunities where the policy infrastructure can be developed or changed to support those practices.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control

Learning Objectives:
Identify best practices to track and prevent transmission of healthcare-associated infections between long-term care facilities and acute care hospitals.

Keyword(s): Long-Term Care, Quality Improvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Meg is a researcher with the health policy research company, Insight Policy Research. At Insight, she evaluates state and federal initiatives of quality improvement in healthcare, from valued-based payment reform models to national efforts to reduce healthcare-associated infections. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications on the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. Ms. Tucker has 10 years’ experience in public health research with expertise in research study design, implementation, evaluation, and policy assessment.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Program evaluation Independent Contractor (contracted research and clinical trials)

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.